Creative Cat

Live Passionately - Virginia is For Lovers

Find Your Palette

You’re a poet at heart, with a passion for finding inspiration. You let your right brain take over on a regular basis, and it leads you to experience the world in a most amazing way. You are able to find a unique point of view, one that begs to be expressed. Think of Virginia as your palette, your soundtrack, your muse.

For Me in Virginia
A Day in the Life
Pure Inspiration

	ART SCENE Art is a happening at Richmond’s ArtWorks studios & Galleries. With galleries showing frequently changing works, and artists on site creating in their studios, ArtWorks is an art scene unto itself.
	FIRING LINE Nan Rothwell Pottery in Nelson County shows you the whole process, from wheel to kiln. With salt glazed and stoneware pieces that are beautifully functional, it’s like having rare earth on your table.
	THE FINEST Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond has a remarkable permanent collection of more than 20,000 works coming from nearly every part of the world. Check out the Fabergé Eggs and ancient Egyptian works.
	BAY ORIGINALS The town of Mathews holds a treasure trove of creative works. Mathews Art Gallery is a coop of over 50 artists and craftspeople, and offers affordable works from painters, potters, jewel-smiths, sculptors and more.
	ISLAND ARTS This fine arts and crafts gallery on Chincoteague Island on the Eastern Shore features the work of Nancy Richards West, noted wildlife and landscape artist, along with pottery, jewelry and handmade clothing.
	FORGOTTEN FAME Once a famed figure painter, Gari Melchers’ work is now celebrated at his Belmont Estate studio in Fredericksburg. At a time when art was becoming boldly impressionistic, his naturalism in capturing a moment was a departure.
	SIGNATURE WORKS Arlington’s Signature Theatre mounts plays and musicals in an intimate space. Cutting edge performances are the norm here, with new works providing fresh theatre experiences throughout the year.
	TORPEDO ART Actually, it’s original artwork in the six galleries and 82 studio spaces of the Torpedo Factory Art Center. This world-renowned art center on the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria is as dynamic as its name implies.
	HERMITAGE HAVEN This Arts and Crafts gem on the shore of the Elizabeth River is a work unto itself. The Hermitage Foundation Museum, Gardens and Visual Arts School is Norfolk’s 12-acre haven for exhibitions and events.
	BIG IN THE VALLEY The Michael Graves-designed Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is an expansive complex with spectacular gardens, furniture, decorative arts, paintings and an amazing collection of teeny, tiny houses and rooms.
	more suggestions

Creative Cat – Heart of Virginia
Find inspiration with a day of arts-intensive wandering through the heart of Virginia.

Morning
Rise for a walking tour of the visual arts. Art in Lexington: A Gallery Tour! guides you through eight fine galleries where fine art, contemporary photography and handcrafted jewelry are just some of the originals on view.

Afternoon
Immerse yourself in the creative process in Buchanan’s Gallery By The James. This artist-owned cooperative features pottery, glass, textiles, collage, photography and fine crafts, as well as paintings in oil, watercolor, pastels and acrylics.

Evening
Lynchburg’s Academy of Fine Arts is a cultural mecca, with visual arts, music, dance and theatre filling the halls of this historic theatre. Witness the cultural revolution with touring performances, or as Academy-mounted shows take the stage.

Gary Carroll, Wayne Henderson and Mary Onley

Wayne Henderson’s passion and skill for building acoustic guitars reached all the way from Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains to the eyes and ears of Eric Clapton. (view video)